Slash has announced his sixth solo album, Orgy of the Damned – due out on May 17th and has been billed as a 12-dynamic tribute to the blues, reviving blues classics with a stripped-back, visceral approach.
The guitarist and songwriter’s blues debut also features numerous guest appearances from Brian Johnson (AC/DC), Chris Stapleton, Beth Hart, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Gary Clark Jr, Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes), Demi Lovato, Dorothy, and Tash Neal on vocals. The first single is a piece that will be familiar to many blues fans: “’Killing Floor’ is one of my favorite Howlin’ Wolf songs, but also one of the iconic blues riffs that inspired me as a young guitarist. I’ve always wanted to cover him in some way, and this record was the perfect vehicle for that. But playing it with this band, and with Brian Johnson on vocals, was something I could never have imagined back then. “Not to mention Steven Tyler on harmonica,” says Slash.
The video for the song offers a first look at Slash and his blues band consisting of Johnny Griparic (bass), Teddy Andreadis (keyboards), Michael Jerome (drums) and Tash Neal (vocals/guitar), with whom he recorded the song: “Als Slash asked me to sing on ‘Killing Floor’ and I immediately said yes. It was one of the first songs I learned in my very first band, and when he played me the backing track it was a no-brainer. And Steven’s harmonica is so damn hot. “I had a lot of fun with Slash in the studio and I think we did this great old song justice,” explains Brian Johnson about his collaboration with Slash.
On “Orgy of the Damned” Slash celebrates both well-known and largely undiscovered songs, paying homage to the musical past that shaped him. For this, the guitarist teamed up again with producer Mike Clink.
Although Slash grew up in England, his American grandmother got him interested in the blues at an early age. At the same time, he grew up with British rock ‘n’ roll of the 60s. After moving to Laurel Canyon, Slash was surrounded by rock and folk singers such as Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Neil Young – all of whom ultimately inspired his playing and songwriting. After he started playing guitar himself, Slash realized that all of his favorite musicians had been influenced by the same BB King records that he himself had listened to as a child.
Mix of styles with top-class guests
A press release says about “Orgy of the Damned”: “[Das Album] brings together a wide range of styles within the blues, ranging from a fast, rough version of Robert Johnson’s ‘Crossroads’ to a plaintive, jangly rendition of T. Bone Walker’s ‘Stormy Monday’. Some of the songs, such as Steppenwolf’s ‘The Pusher’, Charlie Segar’s ‘Key to the Highway’ and Albert King’s ‘Born Under a Bad Sign’, had been performed live by Slash’s Blues Ball, while others, such as Stevie Wonder’s ‘Living for the City.’ ‘, have long been one of Slash’s favorite pieces.
When Slash was putting together the guest singers for the album, he turned to his old friend and colleague Iggy Pop, among others, who had wanted to record a blues song for a long time. Pop then suggested “Awful Dream” by Lightnin’ Hopkins from 1962. “Iggy’s take on this song is really great,” said Slash. “And it’s something no one has ever heard from him. At the end of the piece you can hear him singing just the harmonica parts.”
Orgy of the Damned will be released digitally, on CD and as vinyl – there will be a purple vinyl exclusively for Germany.
“Orgy of the Damned” by Slash: This is the tracklist
1. “The Pusher” feat. Chris Robinson (vocals and harmonica)
Written by Wayne Hoyt Axton
2. “Crossroad Blues” feat. Gary Clark Jr (vocals, rhythm guitar and solo)
Written by Robert Leroy Johnson
3. “Hoochie Coochie Man” feat. Billy F. Gibbons (vocals, rhythm guitar and solo)
Written by Willie Dixon
4. “Oh Well” feat. Chris Stapleton (vocals)
Written by Peter Alan Green
5. “Key to the Highway” feat. Dorothy (vocals)
Written by Charles Segar, William Broonzy
6. “Awful Dream” feat. Iggy Pop (vocals)
Written by Sam (Lightnin’) Hopkins, Clarence Lewis, C Morgan Robinson
7. “Born Under a Bad Sign” feat. Paul Rodgers (vocals)
Written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones
8. “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” feat. Demi Lovato (vocals)
Written by Barrett Strong, Jesse Norman Whitfield
9. “Killing Floor” feat. Brian Johnson (vocals)
Written by Chester Burnett
*Special guest Steven Tyler on harmonica.
10. “Living for the City” feat. Tash Neal (vocals)
Written by Stevie Wonder
*Special guest background vocals: Jenna Bell, Jessie Payo
11. “Stormy Monday” feat. Beth Hart (vocals)
Written by T Bone Walker
12. “Metal Chestnut”
Written by Slash